The first few times I went to Duty Free Philippines Fiestamall in Paranaque City, I was really excited because all the imported items I could buy were within my reach at greatly discounted - or tax-free - prices.
Usually, the people who can take advantage of shopping at Duty Free are Balikbayan folks and their families or tourists who have recently arrived from abroad. Depending on the type of traveler (regular Filipino tourists, foreigners, senior citizens or Balikbayan who were out of the country for at least 1 year), the privilege is typically given with a set number of days and a maximum purchase amount in US Dollar.
However, when my mom and my aunt became Club Elite Members of Duty Free Philippines, our family's once intermittent visits to Fiestamall became a regular activity (at least one Sunday a month). And I couldn't complain because I'm often their designated chauffeur. The only problem is whenever there's a sale at the mall my folks tend to stay from 9:00am when Duty Free opens up till 9:00pm just before it closes.
Before you can enter the shopping area in Fiestamall, someone from your group (preferably the one who just arrived from a foreign trip or, in our case, the Club Elite member) should get a shopping card from the Customer Registration Counter right by the entrance of the mall. After this, you can roam around the two-level shopping area to your heart's content.
The mall is divided into several sections - liquor and wine, food and chocolates, home and office goods, fashion and beauty, sportswear, toys, appliances, electronics, and supermarket. A small area near the exit is also dedicated to Filipino delicacies and souvenir items.
Upon paying for your purchases, you need to show your shopping card to the cashier. Duty Free accepts credit cards and cash (both Philippine Peso and US Dollar). Also, you need to keep all the receipts on hand as an inspection officer at the exit door will check that the items you take out of Fiestamall have all been paid for.
It's not surprising that my favorite part of Duty Free Fiestamall is the small food court. Although there are a handful of big fastfood chains with outlets here, I prefer to get my snacks from the food kiosks. My favorite grubs when I'm at Duty Free include the Ilocos Empanada, Puto Calasiao, and Kutsinta.
By the way, parking in Fiestamall is free. read more